Comment. The human fertilisation and embryology act 2008: promoting wider access to information about genetic origins?

October 2009 sees the enactment of almost the entire Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Act 2008, including the new disclosure provisions for donor-conceived individuals and gamete/embryo donors. In this commentary I outline the amended disclosure provisions and highlight a number of issues raised by these changes. At first glance, the 2008 Act indicates the facilitation of a wider disclosure of information, both non-identifying and identifying, than under the previous legislation. However, examination of its provisions illustrates that in practice this may fall short of the mark. It remains to be seen whether the discretion granted to the HFEA will be utilised in ways that deny, protect or promote further knowledge of specific donor-conceived individual's wider genetic heritage